Smart meter, system including same, and method for controlling smart meter

ABSTRACT

According to a disclosed aspect, provided is a smart meter, a system including same, and a method for controlling the smart meter, wherein the smart meter actively requests renewable energy through a system according to an electricity billing system so as to prevent an overload of generated power and induce efficient power use. A smart meter according to a disclosed embodiment comprises: a communication unit for communicating with the outside; a power measurement unit for collecting the amount of power consumption from an electronic device; and a control unit for comparing the amount of power consumption with a preset power interval, and requesting renewable energy through the communication unit on the basis of a result of the comparison.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a smart meter using a power ratesystem, a system including the same, and a method for controlling thesmart meter.

BACKGROUND ART

With the growing importance of environmentally friendly energy use andmanagement around the world, a smart grid business is rapidly beingpromoted.

Smart grid which is a next-generation intelligent power grid technologythat maximizes energy efficiency by grafting information andcommunication technology to the existing power grid and exchangingreal-time information between power providers and consumersbidirectionally provides benefits such as enhancement of stability ofpower supply, environmental preservation through improvement ofefficiency of energy use, and financial benefits.

As such smart grid business is promoted, smart metering, which is anessential technology of smart grid, is spreading widely. The smartmetering which is a fusion of embedded intelligence and communicationfunctions with existing metering equipment periodically collects andgathers metering information from residential, commercial and industrialfacilities and provides the metering information to service providers.

The metering equipment may be classified according a type thereof, butthe most common metering equipment is a smart meter that measures powerenergy usage. The smart meter is a power meter that measures amount ofpower consumption and transmits the amount of power consumption to asmart grid system through a communication function.

Meanwhile, a conventional general smart meter just serves as a gatewaythat transmits/receives collected data to a central system of a smartgrid through the communication function and has a problem in that theconventional general smart meter does not perform an active operation orfunction.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

According to an aspect disclosed, provided are a smart meter, a systemincluding the same, and a method for controlling the smart meter whichactively request renewable energy through a system according to a powerrate system to prevent overload of generated power and derive efficientpower use.

Technical Solution

A smart meter according to an embodiment disclosed includes: acommunication unit performing communication with the outside; a powermeasurement unit collecting the amount of power consumption from anelectronic device; and a control unit comparing the amount of powerconsumption with a predetermined power interval and requesting renewableenergy through the communication unit based on the comparison result.

The control unit may compare the amount of power consumption with thepower interval based on a predetermined range.

The communication unit may request the renewable energy based on alocation at which the smart meter is provided.

The control unit may determine the power interval based on a power ratesystem.

The control unit may determine the power interval based on an inputpayment rate when the power rate system is a prepaid accumulation ratesystem.

The control unit may request the renewable energy to the outside basedon a required amount of power consumption which the communication unitreceives through the electronic device.

A system according to another embodiment disclosed includes: a homenetwork including a smart meter; an energy management system (EMS)storing the renewable energy produced by solar power generation or thehome network; and a smart meter supplying the renewable energy receivedfrom at least one of the EMS, the home network, and the solar powergeneration, in which the smart meter includes a communication unitperforming communication with the outside, a power measurement unitcollecting the amount of power consumption from an electronic device,and a control unit comparing the amount of power consumption with apredetermined power interval and requesting renewable energy through thecommunication unit based on the comparison result.

The control unit may compare the amount of power consumption with thepower interval based on a predetermined range.

The communication unit may request the renewable energy based on a pointat which the smart meter is provided.

The control unit may determine the power interval based on a power ratesystem.

The control unit may determine the power interval based on an inputpayment rate when the power rate system is a prepaid accumulation ratesystem.

The control unit may request the renewable energy to the outside basedon a required amount of power consumption received through theelectronic device.

A method for controlling the smart meter according to yet anotherembodiment disclosed includes: performing communication with theoutside; collecting the amount of power consumption from an electronicdevice; comparing the amount of power consumption with a predeterminedpower interval; and requesting renewable energy based on the comparisonresult.

The comparing may include comparing the amount of power consumption withthe power interval based on a predetermined range.

The requesting may include requesting the renewable energy based on adistance from a location at which the smart meter is provided.

The comparing may include determining the power interval based on apower rate system.

The comparing may include determining the power interval based on aninput payment rate when the power rate system is a prepaid accumulationrate system.

The requesting may include requesting the renewable energy to theoutside based on a required amount of power consumption received throughthe electronic device.

Advantageous Effects

According to an aspect disclosed, a smart meter, a system including thesame, and a method for controlling the smart meter actively requestrenewable energy through a system according to a power rate system toprevent overload of generated power and derive efficient power use.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system according to an embodimentdisclosed.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram for a smart meter according to anembodiment disclosed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing an indoor environment in which asmart meter operates in a home network according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing a power rate system the resultingcontrol method according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing a power rate system the resultingcontrol method according to another embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for a method for controlling a smart meteraccording to an embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for specifically describing a method forrequesting renewable energy.

BEST MODE

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout thespecification. This specification does not describe all elements of theembodiments, and general content or content overlapping between theembodiments in the technical field to which the present inventionpertains is omitted. The term ‘unit, module, member, block’ used in thespecification may be implemented as software or hardware, and accordingto embodiments, a plurality of ‘units, modules, members, blocks’ may beimplemented as one component or it is also possible that one ‘unit,module, member, block’ includes a plurality of components.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be “connected” withanother part, this includes not only the case of direct connection, butalso the case of indirect connection, and the indirect connectionincludes connection through a wireless communication network.

Further, when any part “includes” any component, unless explicitlydescribed to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as“comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusionof stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements.

The terms “first,” “second,”, and the like are used to distinguish onecomponent from other components, but the component is not limited by theterms.

A singular form includes a plural form unless there is a clear exceptionin the context.

In each step, reference numerals are used for convenience ofdescription, the reference numerals are not used to describe the orderof the steps and unless a specific order is clearly stated in thecontext, each step may occur differently from the order specified above.

Hereinafter, an operation principle and embodiments of the presentinvention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system according to an embodimentdisclosed.

A system 1 according to the present disclosure is to manage power whichis an energy source. Here, the energy source means a resource of whichgeneration amount or usage may be measured. Hereinafter, as an exampleof the energy source, electricity is described, but the system 1 mayalso be applied to another energy source.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the disclosed system 1 includes a power plant 10producing the electricity, a transmission line 11 transmitting theproduced electricity, and a substation 12 converting voltage.

Specifically, the power plant 10 means a power plant that produces theelectricity through thermal power generation or nuclear powergeneration. The substation 12 allows the electricity to be distributedto demands such as homes or offices.

Further, the disclosed system 1 may include an energy management system(EMS) 30 storing the electricity distributed by the substation 12, and awind power plant 20 and a solar power plant 40 that produce therenewable energy by using solar power and wind power.

The EMS 30 serves to store the electricity transmitted by the substation12 and the renewable energy supplied by the power plants 20 and 40 andthereafter, supply required power according to a request from a smartmeter 100 to be described below.

A home network 50 means a group that produces, stores, and shares theelectricity through solar power or fuel cells mounted on an electricvehicle (EV). Accordingly, the home network 50 is not limited to a termhome and includes all demands using the power.

The home network 50 includes various electronic devices 200 (see FIG. 3) which exist indoors or outdoors. Here, the electronic device 200includes various devices using the power and specifically, theelectronic device 20 includes all wearable type user terminals such as asmartphone, a watch, and glasses in addition to home appliances such asa refrigerator, an air-conditioner, a display device, a cleaning robot,lighting equipment, a wine refrigerator, a washing machine, a desktop,etc.

The electronic device 200 may perform Internet of Things (IoT) throughan embedded communication module and exchange information by sending andreceiving data between the electronic devices. A detailed descriptionthereof will be described below in FIG. 3 .

The smart meter 100 may be provided in the disclosed home network 50,which determines the amount of power consumption of the demands (home oroffice) in real time. The smart meter 100 may measure electricityconsumption of the demand in real time and perform communication withanother smart meter included in the home network 50 or the EMS 30.Further, the disclosed smart meter 100 shares the power determined basedon the power rate system with the home network 50 and the EMS 30. Adetailed description of the smart meter 100 will be described belowthrough FIG. 2 , etc.

Meanwhile, in the home network 50, a device 41 producing the renewableenergy need not particularly be provided. That is, the home network 50may request required power through the smart meter 100 withoutautonomously producing the power through the solar power.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram for a smart meter according to anembodiment disclosed.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the smart meter 100 includes a power measurementunit 110 collecting the amount of power consumption from the electronicdevice, a communication unit 120 performing communication with thevarious components described above in FIG. 1 , a storage unit 130storing information collected through the communication unit 120 and thepower rate system, a display unit 160 displaying the collected amount ofpower consumption, and a control unit 150 controlling the componentsdescribed above.

Specifically, the power measurement unit 110 measures analog measurementvalues of a current value and a voltage value which flow on the powersupply line supplied to the home network 50. That is, the powermeasurement unit 110 may include a current transformer detecting acurrent amount by hardware and a potential transformer detecting amagnitude of the voltage. The power measurement unit 110 transfers themeasured measurement value to the control unit 150.

The communication unit 120 communicates with other smart meters includedin the home network 50, the EMS 30, and the power plants 20 and 40 thatproduce the renewable energy.

Specifically, the communication unit 120 serves to request the powerdetermined by the control unit 150 based on the power rate system.Further, the communication unit 120 may receive a signal requested byanother smart meter 100 of the home network 50.

The communication unit 120 may receive a request which the electronicdevice 200 transfers in real time and transfer a control signal of thecontrol unit 150 to the electronic device 200. As an example, aplurality of electronic devices 200 included in the home network 50 maytransfer data for a power amount required for an operation in real timeand the communication unit 120 may receive the request. Further, thecommunication unit 120 may transfer, to the plurality of electronicdevices 200, data for the power amount to be supplied according to apriority through the control signal.

Meanwhile, the communication unit 120 may include one or more componentsthat enable communication with an external device and may include, forexample, at least one of a short-range communication module, a wiredcommunication module, and a wireless communication module.

The short-range communication module may include various short-rangecommunication modules transmitting/receiving the signal by using awireless communication network in a short range, which include aBluetooth module, an infrared communication module, a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) communication module, a wireless local accessnetwork (WLAN) communication module, an NFC communication module, aZigbee communication module, and the like.

The wired communication module may include various cable communicationmodules including a universal serial bus (USB) module, High DefinitionMultimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), recommendedstandard232 (RS-232), power line communication, or plain old telephoneservice (POTS), and the like in addition to various wired communicationmodules including a local area network (LAN) module, a wide area network(WAN) module, or a value added network (VAN) module.

The wireless communication module may include wireless communicationmodules supporting various wireless communication schemes, which includea global system for mobile communication (GSM), a code division multipleaccess (CDMA), a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), and auniversal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), Time DivisionMultiple Access (TDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc., in addition toa Wi-Fi module and a wireless broadband module.

The communication module includes all communication interfaces includingan antenna and a transmitter transmitting/receiving wired and wirelesssignals.

The storage unit 130 stores various data including a program requiredfor operating the smart meter 100, the amount of power consumptioncollected from the power measurement unit 110, information on the powerrate system for the power currently supplied by the power plant 10, etc.

Here, the power rate system as a price which a supplier that manages thepower charges for the use of the power of the demand includes variousrate systems including a progressive system, a real-time rate system, atwo-part RTP, a peak rate system, a time of use (TOU), a TOU+Block ratesystem, and the like.

The progressive system is a scheme that increases a power rate priceaccording to the amount of power consumption. Representatively, inKorea, the power rate is divided into residential, general, educational,industrial power rates, etc., according to the purpose of using thepower, and differentially applied and the progressive system is appliedonly to a home power rate. A detailed description of the progressivesystem will be described in detail through FIGS. 4 and 5 .

Real time pricing (RTP) refers to a rate system in which a power rate ischanged by a time period based on a wholesale or retail price. The RTPand the TOU are similar in that there is a difference in power rate foreach time, but unlike the TOU, in the case of the RTP, since the powerrate is variable according to a power system operation and a demand andsupply situation, a variable rate should be able to be provided toconsumers in real time (at least every 5 minutes). In the RTP, acustomer baseline load (CBL) and a standard rate are set. In addition,the standard rate is applied to the amount of power consumption lessthan the customer baseline load (CBL) and the power rate according tothe RTP is applied to the amount of power consumption more than the CBL,thereby reducing price variability of the power rate.

The TOU is a scheme of reflecting, when there is a large difference inamount of power consumption according to a season and a time, the largedifference and differentially charging a rate in the form of two parts(on-peak and off-peak) or three parts. The TOU is being implemented inmost countries and applied to large-scale homes in Korea, and for eachof spring/autumn, summer, and winter, the rate is differentially chargedin three time zones according to a power demand.

The TOU+Block rate system refers to a scheme that differentiates theprice according to a usage for each period of time.

The two-part RTP is different from the TOU+Block rate system in that acustomer-based load rate (i.e., reference rate) is predetermined andrefers to a scheme of pricing according to the RTP when a customer-basedload (i.e., reference usage) or more is used.

The peak rate system is a system in which a power supply companynotifies consumers of a peak level power price in advance and implementsthe system in a time zone in which a power demand is high. The peak ratesystem may be applied only to a limited time throughout the year inparallel with the TOU. The peak rate system is mainly by European andAmerican electric power companies.

Hereinafter, the progressive system will be described as arepresentative embodiment of the power rate system. However, the powerrate system is not particularly limited to the progressive system andincludes the power rate system which those skilled in the art may easilychange and apply a technology to be described below.

Referring back to FIG. 2 , the storage unit 130 may be implemented as atleast one of non-volatile memory devices such as a cache, a Read OnlyMemory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable Programmable ROM(EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), and a Flashmemory, a volatile memory device such as a Random Access Memory (RAM),or a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a CD-ROM, but isnot limited thereto. Further, the storage unit 130 may be a memoryimplemented as a separate chip in association with the control unit 150to be described below and also implemented as a processor and a singlechip.

The display unit 160 outputs the collected amount of power consumptionto a user. Further, the display unit 160 may display both information onthe applied power rate system and information on the charged rate andperform an interface function to change a communication result of thecommunication unit 120 into a digital from and display the digital from.

The display unit 160 may be provided as a cathode ray tube (CRT), adigital light processing (DLP) panel, a plasma display panel, a liquidcrystal display (LCD) panel, an electro luminescence (EL) panel, anelectrophoretic display (EPD) panel, an electrochromic display (ECD)panel, a light emitting diode (LED) panel, or an organic light emittingdiode (OLED) panel, but is not limited thereto.

The control unit 150 is a processor that controls all components of thesmart meter 100.

Specifically, the control unit 150 compares the amount of powerconsumption collected by the power measurement unit 110 with the powerrate system currently applied and requests an additional power amountthrough the communication unit 120.

Specifically, the control unit 150 compares the amount of powerconsumption with a power interval based on a predetermined range. Whenthe power rate system to which the power interval in which the rate ischanged is applied is used, the control unit 150 may determine toadditionally request renewable energy to the outside before entering thepredetermined range of the power interval in which the rate is changed.Therefore, the control unit 150 may prevent an excessive power rate frombeing charged to the user. A detailed description determined by thecontrol unit 150 will be described through FIGS. 4 to 7 .

The control unit 150 may be implemented as a memory (not illustrated)storing an algorithm for controlling operations of the components in thesmart meter 100 or data for a program for reproducing the algorithm anda processor (not illustrated) performing the aforementioned operationsby using the data stored in the memory. In this case, the memory and theprocessor may be implemented as separate chips, respectively.Alternatively, each of the memory and the processor may be implementedas a single chip.

At least one component may be added or deleted in respect toperformances of the components of the smart meter 100 illustrated inFIG. 2 . Further, mutual locations of the components may be changedaccording to the performance or structure of the system. Further,respective components illustrated in FIG. 2 means hardware componentssuch as software and/or field programmable gate array (FPGA) and(application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing an indoor environment in which asmart meter operates in a home network according to an embodiment.

In the disclosed embodiment, the smart device 100 may serve as a gatewayindoors of the home network as illustrated in FIG. 3 . That is, thesmart device 100 may interlock with various IoT devices which existindoors.

Here, the IoT device as various electronic devices 200 which exist inlife means a device which may send and receive data by accessing thehome network through the embedded communication module. For example, theIoT device includes all wearable type user terminals such as asmartphone, a watch, and glasses in addition to home appliances such asa refrigerator, an air-conditioner a display device, a cleaning robot,lighting equipment, a wine refrigerator, a washing machine, a desktop,etc.

The home network means a network that provides a passage capable ofsending and receiving data with all indoor IoT devices and enablesaccessing an external Internet network.

The disclosed smart meter 100 determines the amount of power consumptionto be externally requested based on the data transferred by the IoTdevice. Specifically, the smart meter 100 may collect data which the IoTdevices transfer to each other and a plurality of electronic devices 200may determine the amount of power consumption required for a futureoperation based on the collected data.

According to one example illustrated in FIG. 3 , when the electronicdevice 200 includes an air conditioner E1, a display device E2, aportable terminal E3, and a cleaning robot E4, a user U may reserve atime for an operation start in the air conditioner E1 and the cleaningrobot E4 through the portable terminal E3. The air conditioner E1 andthe cleaning robot E4 set the operation time according to a command ofthe user U and transfer information on the operation time andinformation on a power amount required for the operation to the smartmeter 100.

The smart meter 100 receives the information from the air conditioner E1and the cleaning robot E4. The smart meter 100 may determine a requiredamount of power consumption to be used for the operation of theelectronic device 200 based on the received information and the powerrate system and request the renewable energy according to adetermination result.

Meanwhile, the smart meter 100 may request the renewable energy based onthe location of the home network 50 with the smart meter 100.Specifically, the smart meter 100 requests required power from a solarpower generator 41 installed outdoors.

However, when the solar power generator 41 is not installed in the homenetwork 50, the smart meter 100 may request the renewable energy storedin the smart meter 100 in a close home network or request the renewableenergy from the EMS 30 and the solar power generator 40.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing a power rate system and the resultingcontrol method according to an embodiment.

The disclosed smart meter 100 compares the amount of power consumptionwith a predetermined power interval. Here, the power interval may bediversified according to the power rate system and as an example, thepower interval may be classified according to the progressive system.

As described above, the progressive system as a scheme that increases apower rate price according to the amount of power consumption partitionsthe amount of power consumption into predetermined intervals anddifferentially applies an applied amount.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the progressive system according to one examplemay be divided into six power intervals A to E and in each powerinterval, the amount of power consumption used during a unit period maybe set in units of 100 kWh. Further, the progressive system increasesthe applied amount according to the power interval and induces the userto reduce power consumption.

Meanwhile, the progressive system charges electric rate according to theamount of power consumption and the charged rate increases according tothe usage. That is, as shown in graph (a) of FIG. 4 , when the user usesthe power, the amount borne by the user varies.

However, the disclosed smart meter 100 requests the renewable energyfrom the outside based on the interval of the applied progressive systemto prevent the rate from increasing.

Referring to graph b) of FIG. 4 , when the amount of power consumptionof the user increases near a change of the interval, the disclosed smartmeter 100 requests the renewable energy from the outside to adjust theelectric rate of the user not to exceed a progressive system applicationinterval.

As a result, when the user uses the same power during the same periodT1, the progressive system of interval C may be applied as shown in FIG.4(a) in a conventional general situation. However, as the disclosedsmart meter 100 requests and uses the renewable energy from the outside,even though the power is used during the same period T1, the progressivesystem of interval B is applied, thereby reducing a burden of theelectric rate.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing a power rate system the resultingcontrol method according to another embodiment disclosed.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the power rate system may be variously applied foreach country or region and as another embodiment, a prepaid progressivesystem may be applied.

The prepaid progressive system means a system in which the user U paysfor the amount of power consumption to be used in advance and when theamount of power consumption exceeds power as large as being paid, powersupply is stopped.

In the case of the prepaid progressive system, a prepaid meter 111 maybe provided in the home network 50 as illustrated in FIG. 5 and aprepaid payment rate (as an example, 86500 won) and the resultingavailable power amount (as an example, 150 kWh) may be displayed.

When the disclosed smart meter 100 is applied to the power rate system,the smart meter 100 may adjust the amount of power consumption bysoftware in link with net metering.

Here, the net metering means producing the renewable energy from thedemand and selling the produced renewable energy back to a supplier, andrefers to a policy to receive a credit by turning a electricity meterupside down. The disclosed smart meter 100 may be applied to determinehow much renewable energy is to be requested or produced in connectionwith the net metering.

Specifically, the smart meter 100 may request, while operating as avirtual meter 121 as illustrated in FIG. 4 , the renewable energy fromthe outside before leaving one power interval of the progressive systembefore the amount of power consumption is transferred to the prepaidmeter 111.

The smart meter 100 may collect the information on the amount of powerconsumption during a predetermined period and calculate the requiredamount of power consumption by comparing the power interval and thepayment rate of the power rate system. That is, in the case of FIG. 5 ,the smart meter 100 may confirm that the paid rate is 86,500 won. Thepayment rate is an amount which exceeds an interval of 0 to 100 kWhbased on the power rate system. Therefore, the smart meter 100 mayrequest the renewable energy from the outside when the amount of powerconsumption up to now is 90 kWh.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for a method for controlling a smart meteraccording to an embodiment disclosed.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the disclosed smart meter 100 collects informationon the amount of power consumption from the power measurement unit 110(300).

The amount of power consumption may be collected through measurement ofa current value and a voltage value which flow on a power supply line.

The smart meter 100 compares the collected information with a powerinterval (310).

Here, the power interval may be based on the power rate system.Specifically, when the power rate system is the progressive system, thepower interval may be determined as an interval in which the rate ischanged in the progressive system. However, the power interval does notparticularly correspond only to the power rate system and may be changedby setting of the user U.

The smart meter 100 compares the amount of power consumption with thepower interval based on a predetermined range (320).

When the amount of power consumption is not included in thepredetermined range, the smart meter 100 continuously monitors theamount of power consumption.

Here, the predetermined range is applied according to the power intervaland corresponds to an operation start time when the smart meter 100requests the renewable energy to the outside.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 , when the power interval is 0 to 100kWh, the predetermined range may be 90 to 100 kWh. That is, when theamount of power consumption up to now is not included in the range of 90to 100 kWh, the smart meter 100 may not request the renewable energy tothe outside. However, when the amount of power consumption is more than90 kWh, the smart meter 100 may request the renewable energy to theoutside so that the amount of power consumption is not more than 100kWh.

Meanwhile, the predetermined range may be diversified according to thepower interval and the setting of the user.

When the amount of power consumption is within the predetermined range,the smart meter 100 requests the supply of the renewable energy to theoutside (330).

Here, the renewable energy is not limited to a self-generating devicesuch as a solar power autonomously provided by the demand. As anexample, the smart meter 100 may request the stored power from the EMS30 and the solar power generator 41 in another home network. A detaileddescription of a request criterion will be described below through FIG.7 .

When additional power is supplied according to the request from thesmart meter 100, the smart meter 100 supplies the supplied renewableenergy to the electronic device 200 so that the amount of powerconsumption is not more than the current power interval (340).

Therefore, the disclosed smart meter 100 prevents overload of generatedpower and derives efficient power use.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for specifically describing a method forrequesting renewable energy.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the smart meter 100 may collect information on theamount of power consumption used by a plurality of electronic devices200 (400).

As described above in FIG. 3 , the smart meter 100 is connected to aplurality of electronic devices in the home network 50 as the homenetwork to collect information on whether the operation starts in realtime.

As an example, when the user U sets an operation reservation time of theplurality of electronic devices 200, the plurality of electronic devices200 may transfer an operation start time and an operation time.

The smart meter 100 determines a required amount of power consumptionbased thereon (410).

Specifically, the smart meter 100 may determine that the current amountof power consumption is not included in the predetermined rangedescribed above in FIG. 6 . However, the smart meter 100 may determinethat the plurality of electronic devices 200 operates in the near futureand the amount of power consumption determined based on the operationtime is included in the predetermined range.

In this case, the smart meter 100 may calculate the required amount ofpower consumption based on the determination and request the renewableenergy to the outside.

Meanwhile, the disclosed smart meter 100 may request the renewableenergy based on the location of the provided home network 50 (420).

As described above in FIG. 1 , the smart meter 100 performscommunication with another smart meter provided in the home network 50.Accordingly, the smart meter 100 may determine the location of a powerstorage at a location close to a current location. That is, thedisclosed smart meter 100 may request the renewable energy by selectinga predetermined point instead of randomly requesting a request signal.

A control method described in FIG. 7 is just an example and the smartmeter 100 does not particularly operate only by the control method.

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 19. A smart meterinterfacing a home network having a plurality of electronic devices withan existing power grid having a power plant producing electricitythrough at least one of thermal power generation and nuclear powergeneration, and a renewable energy supply, the smart meter comprising: acommunication unit configured for communicating with the existing powergrid; a power measurement unit configured to measure an amount of powerconsumption from an electronic device in the home network; and a controlunit configured to (i) compare the measured amount of power consumptionwith a predetermined range within a predetermined power interval, and(ii) request renewable energy through the communication unit from arenewable energy supply in response to the measured amount of powerbeing within the predetermined range; wherein the requested renewableenergy is received into the home network.
 20. The smart meter of claim19, wherein the communication unit is further configured to request therenewable energy based on a location at which the smart meter isprovided.
 21. The smart meter of claim 19, wherein the control unit isconfigured to determine the power interval based on a power rate system.22. The smart meter of claim 21, wherein the control unit is configuredto determine the power interval based on an input payment rate when thepower rate system is a prepaid accumulation rate system.
 23. The smartmeter of claim 19, wherein the control unit is configured to request therenewable energy from the renewable energy supply based on a requiredamount of power consumption which the communication unit receives fromthe electronic device.
 24. The smart meter of claim 19, wherein thecontrol unit is further configured to determine a power consumptionrequired for a future operation of the home network based on themeasured power consumption.
 25. A system for controlling energydistribution, the system comprising: a home network including a smartmeter and a plurality of electronic devices in the home network; anenergy management system (EMS) electrically connected to the smartmeter, the EMS storing renewable energy produced by at least one of asolar power plant and a wind power plant; and the smart meter supplyingthe renewable energy received from at least one of the EMS, the windpower plant, and the solar power plant, wherein the smart meter includesa communication unit configured for communicating with an existing powergrid having a power plant producing electricity through at least one ofthermal power generation and nuclear power generation, a powermeasurement unit configured to measure an amount of power consumptionfrom the electronic device in the home network, and a control unitconfigured to (i) compare the measured amount of power consumption witha predetermined power interval, and (ii) in response to the measuredamount of power being a predetermined relation to the predeterminedpower interval request, through the communication unit, renewable energyfrom at least one of the EMS, the wind power plant, and the solar powerplant; wherein the requested renewable energy is received into the homenetwork.
 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the control unit isconfigured to compare the amount of power consumption with the powerinterval based on a predetermined range within the power interval. 27.The system of claim 25, wherein the communication unit is configured torequest the renewable energy based on a user input point of the smartmeter.
 28. The system of claim 25 wherein the control unit is configuredto determine the power interval based on a power rate system.
 29. Thesystem of claim 28, wherein the control unit is configured to determinethe power interval based on an input payment rate when the power ratesystem is a prepaid accumulation rate system.
 30. The system of claim25, wherein the control unit is configured to request the renewableenergy from at least one of the EMS, the wind power plant, and the solarpower plant based on a required amount of power consumption receivedfrom the electronic device.
 31. A method for controlling a smart meter,comprising: communicating a smart meter with an existing power gridhaving a power plant producing electricity through at least one ofthermal power generation and nuclear power generation; collecting, atthe smart meter, an amount of power consumption from a plurality ofelectronic devices in a home network; comparing, by the smart meter, theamount of power consumption with a predetermined power interval, thepower interval corresponding to the existing power grid; requesting, bythe smart meter, renewable energy based on the comparison result,wherein the requested renewable energy is sufficient to maintain theamount of power consumption within the predetermined power interval; andreceiving the requested renewable energy into the home network.
 32. Themethod for controlling a smart meter of claim 31, wherein the comparingby the smart meter includes comparing the amount of power consumptionwith the power interval based on a predetermined range.
 33. The methodfor controlling a smart meter of claim 31, wherein the requesting by thesmart meter includes requesting the renewable energy based on a distancefrom a location at which the smart meter is provided.
 34. The method forcontrolling a smart meter of claim 31, wherein the comparing by thesmart meter includes determining the power interval based on a powerrate system.
 35. The method for controlling a smart meter of claim 34,wherein the comparing by the smart meter includes determining the powerinterval based on an input payment rate when the power rate system is aprepaid accumulation rate system.
 36. The method for controlling a smartmeter of claim 31, wherein the requesting by the smart meter includesrequesting the renewable energy from at least one of an energymanagement system (EMS) electrically connected to the smart meter, theEMS storing renewable energy produced by one of a solar power plant anda wind power plant, the solar power plant and the wind power plantoutside the home network, based on a required amount of powerconsumption received through the electronic device.